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New Sex Abuse Lawsuit Targets Bryan Singer, Gary Goddard

The defendants deny the claims in the new suit, filed by the same lawyer who filed four other suits in the past two weeks.

An anonymous UK citizen has filed suit against Bryan Singer and Gary Goddard, alleging that they both sexually assaulted him when he was a teenager.

The suit, filed by the same attorney who filed teen sex abuse suits in recent weeks on behalf of Michael Egan against Singer and three others, alleges that Goddard contacted the teenager via social media in 2003 when he was 14, and that nude webcam sessions followed when he was 15. Later, according to the suit, when the teen was 15, they lay in bed naked together in a London hotel room, and when the teen was 16, Goddard had sex with him. The age of consent in England is (and was then) 16, but the lawsuit argues that the California age of consent, 18, should apply because Singer and Goddard allegedly formulated their sexual plans regarding the teen while in California. In addition, the federal age, also 18, assertedly applies to travel from the U.S. for sexual purposes.

Singer had sex with the plaintiff at a Superman after afterparty in a London hotel room when the plaintiff was 17, according to the suit. (This is presumably a reference to Singer's SupermanReturns, which had its U.K. premiere July 13, 2006.) The boy resisted, the suit continues, but Goddard brought in a “large, musclebound man” who smacked the teenager around, holding him while Singer grabbed him and Goddard, naked on the bed, watched. Singer then allegedly attempted to rape the plaintiff. The complaint, although a civil matter, states or suggests that Singer and Goddard violated federal and state criminal law.

He added, “After the substance of (attorney Jeff Herman’s) previous defamatory and fabricated filing in Hawaii was disproved based on unassailable evidence, Mr. Herman's desperation has led him to fabricate these new anonymous accusations against Mr. Singer, which we will also prove to be completely false.”

Herman has asserted that he has witnesses who can place Singer and the other three defendants at underage sex parties in Hawaii, while Singer has said he has credit card receipts, cell phone bills, movie production schedules and over a hundred witnesses that will demonstrate Singer was elsewhere at the time. Neither side has revealed its evidence publicly. All four defendants in the earlier suits have denied the allegations.

Goddard’s lawyer, Alan Grodin, said in a statement, “It is a shame that the specious claim made by Herman in the Egan case has resulted in this new claim that we note is over 10 years old. For now we will say the claims are denied and Gary will vigorously defend.”

UPDATED: Grodin and a colleague, Paul Gaspari, subsequently said, “It is a sad indictment on society that when once spurious claims making false, serious and highly damaging allegations have been made – especially where compensation is sought – that other similar claims may follow. The allegations made against Mr. Goddard are vehemently denied and will be vigorously defended at any trial of these matters and Mr. Goddard is entirely confident that he will be fully vindicated.”

The earlier suit against Singer has yet to be served, almost two weeks after it was filed. Nor has the new suit been served yet.

“It is time for the media and public to focus their attention on Mr. Herman's nefarious motives and tactics which seem to be driven solely by his need to shake down an innocent man like Bryan Singer,” said Marty Singer. “We intend to seek sanctions against Mr. Herman for his reckless, unethical behavior.”

The new suit, filed Saturday in federal court in Los Angeles, was first reported by The Daily Beast. The plaintiff is identified as “John Doe No. 117,” a number which the complaint says “is strictly for internal organization at the office of plaintiff's counsel and should not be construed to mean that there have been 117 abuse victims of Defendants.”